Finishing off with pumpkin pie

Sunday

Nov 11, 2012 at 6:00 AMNov 11, 2012 at 10:07 AM

By Alison Ladman THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A classic Thanksgiving dinner is only complete with the classic finish — an aromatic pumpkin pie rich with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and topped with pillowy soft mounds of whipped cream. To sweeten both the pie and the cream, we turned to maple syrup, which complements the other ingredients with a rich, but still subtle sweetness.

For the pie:

9-inch prepared deep-dish pie crust in a pan

15-ounce can pumpkin puree

1 cup grade B maple syrup

1 cup heavy cream

4 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch salt

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes; servings: 8.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet.

To make the pie filling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, heavy cream, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center is just barely set. Set on a rack to cool completely.

When ready to serve, make the whipped cream. In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, cinnamon and maple sugar until the cream forms soft peaks. Serve alongside the pie.